It’s March 2020, we’ve all suddenly had a bit of a shock regarding our ability to go and buy food, either through limited access to shops (self isolation) or limited stock in the shops.
There are other food supply option which we can access like our very own Tree and local food veg box schemes, but these cannot all ramp up at the same speed as the emergency measures have struck.
As a result lots of people have started taking a keen interest in growing from home, there is plenty of internet support, videos on YouTube (I like Charles Dowding’s no-dig videos). But maybe not everyone had time to get all the equipment they would have liked before starting on their grow at home journey, so now it’s time to get inventive!
If you want to start some plants at home, even if you’ve just got a windowsill, you can! If you don’t have a pot to grow your plants in, it’s time to get inventive.
For windowsill growing: any plastic pot: yogurt pot; the bottom half of a plastic milk bottle; a hummus pot; take a look in your plastic recycling and see what can be repurposed; you could even use a small plastic bag inside a bowl.
The reason I’ve suggested plastic is so you can make drainage holes in the bottom of the container. Plant roots need to have air as well as water around them, and using a container with drainage holes will allow any extra water to drain out. You can also use an empty tin can, but be aware of sharp edges and you’ll need a hammer and nail to punch through the drainage holes.
Be careful when punching the holes in the bottom of the containers, and don’t worry if the holes are big, you can always put a used teabag over the hole, which will stop any compost falling through and also provide a little nutrient boost for your plants as the tea leaves break down.
Find something to stand your new pots on, the drainage holes will mean your windowsills will get wet if you don’t have saucer, plate or mushroom punnet to stand your new pots on. The lids from your hummus and yogurt pots can double up as (shallow) saucers.
If you are growing plants to go outside into pots or a garden, you can use cardboard pots made from toilet tube inners, Andrea demonstrated these in a facebook video or make your own from newspaper. egg boxes or even opened out envelopes will work for a short time. You will also need to keep these on something that will hold them together and stop the water spilling out the bottom, mushroom punnets are handy for this.
We’ll be adding more to the grow at home series, let us know if there is anything you want to hear about.
